Ever heard of 'MOC', 'MIP' or 'MIB'? For those who aren't familiar with (or new to) the world of action figures, these abbreviations may seem quite strange. For long-time collectors, however, these are just common terms that come to mind when they buy, trade or sell some goodies. These expressions, which mean 'Mint On Card', 'Mint In Package', and 'Mint In Box' respectively, pertain to the preservation of action figures within their packages.
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| MOC and MIB Transformers - My favorite 'bots |
I have been a collector for about a decade now, and I myself have tons of action figures which have already been removed from their packaging. When I started out in this niche, after my purchase I'd always get the figure out of its clamshell (blister pack) or box immediately and then display it. But there was this certain figure (it's the Marvel Legends Series 11 Hulkbuster Iron Man) which made me realize that 'packaging is everything'.
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| MIP ML11 Hulkbuster Iron Man - Luckily I bought another one which I kept MIP.;) |
So, what's the big deal about 'keeping it sealed'? It all comes down to two things: quality and value. You see, once the figure is removed from its original packaging, it loses a part of what I'd call its visual flavor - the element which made it an 'eye-candy' in the first place.
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| Preserving the legends of the Marvel Universe |
And let's not forget about its increasing value. The longer an action figure is kept in its packaging, the more profitable it can be for the owner when auctioned in E-bay and other places online. Two good examples are the MOC G.I.Joe Cobra Ninja (Code Name: Storm Shadow) and the MIB Transformers Autobot Commander Optimus Prime (both produced in the 80's) which would cost around US$3,995.00 and US$2,795.00, respectively (now tell me that's not reason enough to keep your figures sealed!).
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| That chick on the center could cost 4 to 5 times her original price these days |
But that's not to say that every sealed figure you're going to have will reach that kind of price after some time; it actually varies from one figure to another. And even though I'm well aware of the fact that action figures are meant for playing and displaying, keeping them MOC, MIP or MIB could be a wiser choice. Who knows, maybe that unopened Transformers 'bot of yours could be worth a car in the future!
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| MIB Batman: Arkham Origins & Injustice: Gods Among Us Collector's Edition sets - Yes, I preserve them even without removing the video game inside ;) |
How about you, do you prefer to keep your figures loose or sealed?
